DiSesa Takes Kids On a Field Trip

Agencies are so busy with "output" —of energy and ideas—that sometimes they need a little "input," according to Nina DiSesa, chairman and chief creative of McCann-Erickson in New York. Two weeks ago, DiSesa organized a "class trip" across town to Times Square, where 120 creatives got popcorn and soda and saw The Triplets of Belleville.

The animated French film tells the story of a little old lady whose grandson grows up to compete in the Tour de France. During the race, he is kidnapped by mobsters and forced to compete against other captive cyclists at a gambling den. The grandmother's efforts to find and rescue him lead her to befriend three singing sisters (now old ladies themselves) who were once the famed Triplets of Belleville.

DiSesa says she chose the film because it is such a creative achievement, especially as it is told without dialogue. "It's so simply done, so wonderfully written, drawn and conceived," DiSesa says. "It's just somebody's brain and talent at work."

DiSesa says it's important for creatives to get out and see movies or theater because it can help stimulate the ideas process, especially when people are experiencing a creative block. She realizes, however, that work schedules allow for little free time, so she made the time during the day. "Something like going to the movies can clear the cobwebs out," she says. An added pleasure was that "nobody got lost, and nobody talked during the movie. I was so proud of them."

Agencies are so busy with "output" —of energy and ideas—that sometimes they need a little "input," according to Nina DiSesa, chairman and chief creative of McCann-Erickson in New York. Two weeks ago, DiSesa organized a "class trip" across town to Times Square, where 120 creatives got popcorn and soda and saw The Triplets of Belleville.

The animated French film tells the story of a little old lady whose grandson grows up to compete in the Tour de France. During the race, he is kidnapped by mobsters and forced to compete against other captive cyclists at a gambling den. The grandmother's efforts to find and rescue him lead her to befriend three singing sisters (now old ladies themselves) who were once the famed Triplets of Belleville.

DiSesa says she chose the film because it is such a creative achievement, especially as it is told without dialogue. "It's so simply done, so wonderfully written, drawn and conceived," DiSesa says. "It's just somebody's brain and talent at work."

DiSesa says it's important for creatives to get out and see movies or theater because it can help stimulate the ideas process, especially when people are experiencing a creative block. She realizes, however, that work schedules allow for little free time, so she made the time during the day. "Something like going to the movies can clear the cobwebs out," she says. An added pleasure was that "nobody got lost, and nobody talked during the movie. I was so proud of them."